I’ve heard great things about Haddo’s Hot Dogs and it’s always been on my list of places to try. Unfortunately, our paths have never crossed, until this morning when they were setup at the Flinders Street Markets.

Hot dogs from a food truck is nothing new, but the point of difference with Haddo’s are their free range pork Vienna sausages that are double smoked in red gum and their special sauce. From what I could see, there were 4 types of hot dogs on offer; The Original, The Vietnam Dog, The Plain and a vegetarian hot dog. The Vietnam Dog is like their current hot dog special, which will be changed when something new is developed.

Today, I ordered the Original Haddo’s Hot Dog. This comes with caramelised onions, pickles, jalapenos, rocket with Carly’s special sauce number 9 in an Asian style bun. The hot dog was nicely presented and ready to be eaten.

The Vienna sausage was a nice size extending to the full length of the bun. The pork filling was juicy, and the fat was so well refined, you couldn’t see it. The sausage had nice smokey flavours which was expected. The hot dog had good contrasting flavours. There was the sweetness from the caramelised onions, the sourness from the pickles, the heat from the jalapenos and the crispness from the fresh rocket. The bun was soft and fluffy, and of a decent size.

The only issue I had with the hot dog was rather trivial. They packed so much filling that the hot dog kept on slipping out when eating. Better more filling than not enough I guess. They also talk about a “crunch” when eating their hot dogs, I didn’t quite experience that or know exactly what they’re referring to.

The staff were friendly, and the service was fast and efficient. The cost of the Original Haddo’s Hot Dog was $9, as was the Vietnam Dog. The Plain hot dog was $7. I’m usually a bit reluctant to pay close to $10 for a hot dog anywhere, let alone at Haddo’s, particularly when IKEA is selling them for a $1 a pop, however, this is the going rate when you buy one from a food truck.

Verdict: A very good hot dog with a well thought out ingredient combination. A bit pricey in my opinion.

WHERE: 23 Roberts St, Birkenhead